Tracheal intubation (commonly known as intubation) is the placement of a flexible plastic tube into the trachea in order to maintain an open airway or to serve as a conduit through which to administer oxygen or other drugs. It is commonly performed in emergency situations and critically ill or injured patients, but intubation is also used in patients who will be undergoing a lengthy surgery that requires them to be under anesthesia for a significant number of hours.
In order to intubate,...

In 1861 Adam Politzer of Vienna spent much time studying the air movement in the Eustachian tubes and the ear canal. He would measure the air movement by attaching a manometer, a very large gauge, to the ear canal and the pharynx. He developed an apparatus known as the Politzer bag in 1863 which is a less invasive way to clear the Eustachian tubes.
Procedure
Politzerization, also known as the Politzer maneuver, is a medical procedure which inserts air in the middle ear while the patient...